What Mary Hare does

Mary Hare School is the largest residential school for deaf children and young people in the United Kingdom, operating as a non-maintained special school and registered charity (No. 1048386) from its 140-acre campus at Arlington Manor, Newbury, Berkshire. Founded in 1883 by Mary Hare and renamed Mary Hare Grammar School in 1946, the school delivers a full Reception-through-Year-13 (ages 4-19) pathway for profoundly and severely deaf students, with all teaching staff qualified as Teachers of the Deaf. Supporting services include on-campus speech and language therapy, audiology, a medical centre, wellbeing services, and a multi-house residential boarding operation (Bradbury, Mansell, Adelaide, Murray, Wroughton).

The school operates as a unified education and care platform combining primary, secondary, and sixth-form provision (GCSEs, BTECs, A Levels, Level 3 Diplomas) with a wholly-owned Professional Courses division offering postgraduate teacher training (PGDip Teaching Deaf Learners/QTOD) and the new Teacher for Sensory Impaired Apprenticeship. Adjacent wholly-owned entities — Arlington Arts Centre, Mary Hare Hearing Centre, Hearing Aid Repair Shop (HARS), and The Mary Hare Foundation (established 1991) — extend the organisation into performing arts venue hire, hearing healthcare, hearing-aid repair, and fundraising.

The business model rests on four revenue streams: (1) Local Education Authority-funded tuition and residential placements for deaf students, the primary income stream; (2) charitable donations and fundraising through the Mary Hare Foundation; (3) professional and postgraduate course fees from adult learners; and (4) facility hire income from the arts centre, swimming pool, meeting rooms, and 140-acre grounds. Distribution is direct: admissions are managed via assessment visits and LEA commissioning, with families and LEAs as the principal buyer channels. The school is governed by a Board of Governors/Trustees chaired by Tim Polak, with Robin Askew as CEO & Principal and Peter Robson as Chief Operating Officer.

Name

Mary Hare

Legal name

Mary Hare School

Website

https://maryhare.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Mary Hare School is the UK's largest residential school for deaf children and young people, delivering Reception-to-Year-13 specialist education from its Newbury campus and serving profoundly deaf students from across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education (Deaf and Hearing-Impaired)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Language & Communication Continuing Education (EDAAAEAF)

Keywords

• Special education services
• Deaf education
• Residential schooling
• Auditory oral education
• Special needs support

Headquarters

HQ city

Newbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government/FEA Funded Education: Pupils' fees are paid for by the Local Education Authority where they live. This is a non-maintained special school, meaning funding comes from students' home local authorities rather than direct government funding.
2. Charitable Donations and Fundraising: The Mary Hare Foundation, established in 1991, raises vital funds to support the continuing development of the school and opportunities for deaf young people through various fundraising activities, donations, and appeals.
3. Professional Courses Revenue: The school offers postgraduate and professional courses for adults working in deaf education or audiology, generating revenue from course fees.
4. Facility Hire and Lettings: Spaces available for hire including Arlington Arts Centre, swimming pool, meeting rooms, and grounds. The school is set in 140 acres of countryside with woodlands and grass playing fields.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mary Hare School is a non-maintained special school providing residential and day education for profoundly and severely deaf children from Reception to Year 13 (ages 4-19), with all teaching staff qualified as Teachers of the Deaf. The school delivers the full national curriculum including GCSEs, BTECs, A Levels and Level 3 Diplomas, and supplements this with on-site speech and language therapy, audiology, medical care, wellbeing support and full-time boarding across multiple houses. Adjacent paid services include postgraduate and apprenticeship professional courses in deaf education, on-campus hearing services (Mary Hare Hearing Centre and HARS hearing aid repair), and venue hire through Arlington Arts Centre and the wider 140-acre campus.

Product overview

Mary Hare School is a non-maintained special school providing education for profoundly and severely deaf children from Reception to Year 13 (aged 4-19). The school operates as a unified platform combining primary, secondary, and sixth form education with comprehensive boarding facilities across multiple residential houses. Supporting services include speech and language therapy, audiology, medical centre, and wellbeing services. The organisation also extends beyond traditional schooling through its Professional Courses division (offering teacher training for deaf education), community facilities including Arlington Arts Centre, hearing services (Hearing Centre and Hearing Aid Repair Shop), and family support programs such as Little Hares. Key community events include the annual Deaf Family Fun Day and Soundwave Magazine publication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arlington Arts Centre: Arts centre on campus offering a vibrant programme of music, comedy, dance and drama for the public, with spaces available for hire for meetings, conferences and performances.
• Mary Hare Hearing Centre
• Hearing Aid Repair Shop (HARS)
• The Mary Hare Foundation

Products and services

• Mary Hare Primary School Specialist primary education for deaf children from Reception age (4 years old), delivered by qualified Teachers of the Deaf as subject specialist teachers. The primary phase is the start of Mary Hare's full Reception-to-Year-13 specialist educational pathway.
• Mary Hare Secondary School Secondary education for deaf students from Year 7 to Year 11, offering GCSEs and BTECs with specialist support from qualified Teachers of the Deaf and on-site therapy and audiology teams.
• Mary Hare Sixth Form Post-16 education for deaf students offering A Levels, BTECs, Technical Qualifications and Level 3 Diplomas, preparing students for university and careers.
• Residential Care (Boarding Houses) Full boarding across multiple specialist houses (Bradbury House for Primary and Year 7, Mansell House and Adelaide House for Years 8-10, Murray House for Year 11, The Wroughton Centre for Sixth Form), with weekly and full boarding options and trained residential staff.
• Professional Courses (PGDip Teaching Deaf Learners / QTOD) Postgraduate and professional courses for adults working in deaf education or audiology, including the PGDip Teaching Deaf Learners (QTOD) postgraduate qualification for Teachers of the Deaf.
• Teacher for Sensory Impaired Apprenticeship Apprenticeship route into specialist teaching of sensory impaired learners, funded through the apprenticeship levy and delivered via blended online, face-to-face and 4 teaching weekends per year at Mary Hare.
• Arlington Arts Centre On-campus arts venue offering a programme of music, comedy, dance and drama and available for hire for meetings, conferences and performances, including the Henry Foyle Theatre and various boardrooms.
• Mary Hare Hearing Centre Professional hearing services operating on the Mary Hare campus, providing hearing assessments and support to students and the wider community.
• Hearing Aid Repair Shop (HARS) Hearing aid repair services operating on the Mary Hare campus, supporting deaf students and the wider community.
• Little Hares Free monthly support group for families with deaf babies and toddlers aged 3 and under, delivered with BSL interpreters at each session.
• Site Lettings (140-acre grounds, swimming pool, meeting rooms) Hire of the school's 140-acre grounds, woodlands, grass playing fields, swimming pool, meeting rooms and the Arlington Arts Centre for external groups, organisations and events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% pass rate for A Levels (grades A* to E)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arlington Arts CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArlington Arts Centre is part of the Mary Hare School campus but operates as a separate entity offering a vibrant programme of music, comedy, dance and drama to the public. The centre provides performance spaces available for hire including the Henry Foyle Theatre and various boardrooms.
• Mary Hare Hearing CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional hearing services operating on the Mary Hare campus, providing hearing assessments and support for students and potentially external customers.
• Hearing Aid Repair Shop (HARS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist hearing aid repair services available through the school, supporting students' hearing technology needs.
• Manchester City Football ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerManchester City FC generously donated tickets and a stadium tour voucher to support Mary Hare students fundraising for the GB Under 23 Deaf Football World Championships.
• Hearing Dogs for Deaf PeopleminorOthersCharity raising awareness at school events about hearing dogs for deaf people.
• NDCS (National Deaf Children's Society)minorOthersLeading charity for deaf children participating in school community events and providing resources.
• The Watermill TheatreminorOthersLocal theatre partner participating in community events at the school.
• RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People)minorOthersMajor deaf and hearing loss charity providing employment support information referenced in school careers resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): The UK's leading sight-loss charity, providing services, schools support and advocacy. Relevant thematic peer to Mary Hare because both organisations sit at the intersection of sensory impairment education, residential care, and charity-funded service delivery for disabled children in the UK.
• National Association for Special Educational Needs (nasen): The UK's leading SEND membership organisation supporting schools, colleges, and practitioners working with children with special educational needs. Relevant peer to Mary Hare as a sector body that shapes SEND policy, training, and professional standards in which Mary Hare's professional courses division operates.

Broad incumbents

• National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS): The UK's leading charity for deaf children and their families, providing information, advocacy, events, and family support rather than direct education. Comparable to Mary Hare as a national deaf-children-focused organisation that shares audiences and partnerships, though it sits upstream as an advocacy body rather than a school.
• Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID): The UK's largest charity for people with hearing loss, providing services, campaigning, and research across all age groups. Comparable to Mary Hare as a major UK deaf-sector organisation with overlapping stakeholder networks, though RNID operates across the full lifespan rather than focusing on education.

Direct peers

• Treloar's School and College: A leading UK specialist residential school and college for students with physical disabilities, complex needs, and sensory impairments, located in Hampshire. Comparable to Mary Hare as a UK residential SEND provider operating a multi-building campus with boarding, therapy, and LEA-commissioned placements.
• Oak Lodge School for the Deaf: A maintained primary and secondary specialist school for deaf children in North London. Comparable to Mary Hare in its specialist deaf provision and use of qualified Teachers of the Deaf, though it is a local-authority-maintained day school rather than an independent residential provider.
• Hamilton Lodge School for Deaf Children: An independent residential and day school for deaf children in Brighton, offering specialist education from early years through post-16. Direct competitor to Mary Hare in the UK independent residential deaf education market with similar QTOD-led staffing model.
• Royal School for Deaf Children, Margate: The Royal School for Deaf Children in Margate is one of the few remaining specialist residential schools for deaf children in England. It is directly comparable to Mary Hare in its residential and day placement model, auditory/oral education approach, and LEA-funded commissioning structure.
• Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children: A specialist primary school for deaf children in London, part of the Camden federated schools. It is directly comparable as a specialist deaf school catering to profoundly deaf learners, though smaller and day-only rather than residential like Mary Hare.
• St John's Catholic School for the Deaf: A specialist day and residential school for deaf children in Boston Spa, Yorkshire. Comparable to Mary Hare as a UK regional specialist deaf school providing auditory/oral education, boarding placements, and therapy services to LEA-commissioned pupils.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/maryhareschool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@maryhare2791
• Facebookfacebook.com/MaryHareschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/maryhareschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mary Hare